Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Call me
crazy, but having been born in the United States, I somehow had the impression
that operating a business that neither picked anyone's pocket nor broke
anyone's leg was legal. (It certainly should be.) It's bad
enough when a government quasi-legalizes something that shouldn't have been
illegal in the first place, but this is worse in a sense. Who knew that
operating a business or making contracts with other adults wasn't even legal until
some band of chiseling local officials said so?

Apparently, I was
wrong: We need permission, and we'd better be ready to hand over our lunch
money when we ask for it. Oh, and be ready to wait hand-and-foot on the gang in
charge:

I wrote a
piece earlier today describing some the law's changes and some
of its more controversial points. The key changes include a limit on non-hosted
rentals for up to 90 days per year. That's on the concern that
Airbnb will eat into the city's limited [by the government --ed]
housing stock.

Another key point is the creation of a public
registry, where hosts will have to pay a $50 fee, register with the
city Planning Department and pledge that they'll abide by the 90-day
limit. They'll also have to pay the city's hotel taxes. They
-- not Airbnb -- are responsible for certifying that they're
only hosting 90 days a year and for keeping records that prove this. [link
in original]

Lots of people see this as good news, but it is really a sign of just how badly
our freedom is in jeopardy. We once had a government that protected our rights,
and now we increasingly have one that charges "protection" money.